King James’s School is a highly successful secondary school in Knaresborough, we are committed to developing students into confident, sensitive and responsible adults who are able to play an active part in society. With a Royal Charter and foundation dating from 1616 we have an enviable tradition, identity and ethos, which is combined with the best in modern curriculum design and innovative teaching and learning. Academically, we maintain the high standards that the parents of Knaresborough have come to expect from the school. We also have a rich profile of extra-curricular activities and we believe in giving parents the opportunity to enjoy the achievements of their students. Our talented and enthusiastic staff ensure that all of our youngsters fulfil their potential. 

King James’s School is federated with Boroughbridge High School, with a single Federation Governing Board. Formation of the Federation in January 2021 was the culmination of a period of over four years during which the two schools had worked increasingly closely. The partnership between the schools has enabled richer CPD through joint events, sharing of learning and expertise across the staff teams, cost savings and economies of scale in back-office services, and more efficient deployment of specialist expertise. The schools and the Governing Board are committed to further embedding the partnership and are exploring opportunities to develop the Federation further, potentially by extending the partnership to other local schools. 

We place great value on subject knowledge and skills as a basis for developing competence and an understanding of the world.  We value the qualifications that students achieve but we also want to ensure that we expand the knowledge and skills that students have, beyond those needed to pass the tests. 

We believe in the breadth of learning; the right of students to study maths, literature, history, geography, biology, chemistry, physics, art, design and technology, music, drama, religious education, languages, computing, and PE.  We believe in developing their literacy and their physical and artistic competence alongside empathy within a social and moral framework. 

Our curriculum promotes spiritual, moral, social, cultural and physical development alongside creativity and academic work.  Our curriculum encourages students to develop transferable knowledge and make connections between subjects. 

Ofsted Recognised – “Leaders have put in place strategies to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils across the whole school. They have looked carefully at each year group to identify barriers to learning and are developing bespoke provision” – Ofsted 2017 

These subjects form the basis of knowledge and skills that all students are entitled to learn.   We debate very hard what this knowledge is, accepting we may not be 100% right but that the debate will strengthen our curriculum.  We believe that when we teach this knowledge the cultural capital of students grows and we get to the key purpose of education; to help students become part of an educated and productive community.  

The intent of our curriculum is therefore to maintain breadth and depth until the end of Year 9 and to bring in choice, supported by effective careers advice and guidance, for the GCSE and A Level years. 

Special Features and benefits of the school: 

The school is a large community hub for out of hours activities. A recent refurbishment of our 3G pitch was undertaken with considerable community investment, and support from local football clubs. Knaresborough tennis club is based here, and many other clubs and community groups use our facilities.  

2018/19 Trip data (last full ‘normal year’: 

• 120 different trips & PE fixtures 
• 10 overseas visits 
• 10 adventure visits 
• 1,900 student days on overseas visits 
• 3,413 student days on adventure visits 
• 12,991 student days on trips and visits in total 

About our Extra - Curriculum 

Our Students

The students in school possess a strong sense of values, centred on inclusion, friendship and growth of independence, which permeate the school.  

Students enjoy coming to school because they have good relationships with staff. They gain healthy confidence as they know they will be well cared for at our school. A small minority of pupils come from very challenging backgrounds and present with additional needs. 

Students have excellent attitudes to learning. They work hard and are very keen to know how they can improve.  

• Students are proud to play their part in school communities and enthusiastically take on additional responsibilities in school and the wider community events 
• Students are encouraged to be respectful and positive behaviour is encouraged  
• Students' confidence levels vary, all develop and grow as they progress through school and are encouraged and supported by staff and pupils. 
• Students are accepting and supportive of new friends and peers 
• Students are confident, independent young leaders 

Ofsted Recognised - “Pupils have very positive attitudes to their learning and they behave well. Conduct around school, in lessons and during social times is excellent. Pupils are polite and friendly” - Ofsted 2017 

Student wellbeing:  

The emotional wellbeing of the students at the schools has always been a high priority and students are encouraged to talk in class and to their peers about their mental health. Mental health has continued to be of key importance as we come out of the Covid pandemic and activities, such as mindfulness, have been shared with the children. Online safety is also a key factor and regular information is shared with children and parents on how to stay safe on the internet.  

Our staff are our greatest resource and are incredibly committed, loyal, positive and hardworking. We always have the best interests of the pupils at heart and are determined to find something at which every child can shine. All our staff get to know the children in our schools very well and use this information to personalise opportunities for learning and socialisation. 

Ofsted Recognised – “Together, you have created a culture of high aspirations, where pupils feel supported to do well. A phrase heard often during the inspection was, ‘same bar, different ladder’, which sums up the ethos that you have created. All staff work together to ensure that all pupils aim high and are supported to achieve as well as they can. Pupils feel well supported and they enjoy learning in your school” – Ofsted 2017  

This is a large school with a big staff. There are 96 FTE teaching staff and approximately a further 70 non-teaching roles.  

Ofsted Recognised – “Staff and pupils work together to strive for the highest levels of achievement” – Ofsted 2017 

Read more about our wonderful leadership team here. 

The Governing Body’s Role and Support 

We have an active and engaged Governing Body whose members take their responsibilities seriously. We work collaboratively and constructively with our Headteacher and are united in our commitment to the schools and the responsibility we share for the schools’ long-term success. As a Governing Body we meet regularly to ensure our children receive the best school experience possible, in safe supported environments, in addition: 

• We have immersion days and link evenings when they see the work of the school first hand and meet staff and students and middle leaders  
• We have an annual planning and development day. E.g. in the summer of 2021 governors met on a Saturday to discuss the curriculum and the priorities for development in the two schools 

Read more about our Governing Body   

Ofsted Recognised – “Highly effective collaborative working between governors, school leaders and the local authority has led to the development of effective strategies to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils” – Ofsted 2017 

The official school motto is ‘Quid Retribuam Domino’, which means ‘What can I render unto the Lord’. 

Our school vision as we continue to move forward, is: 

‘To set no limits on what we can achieve’. 

We strive to marry the traditions of the school’s rich history with our vision and values for the learners of today. We believe that our role is to support our young people in removing any barriers that prevent them fulfilling their dreams and ambitions. This allows them to truly set no limits on what they can achieve. 

 This belief is supported by our school values of: 

‘Ready, Respectful and Engaged’. 

We expect everyone here at King James’s to be ready to improve, be respectful of each other and engage fully in all areas of school life. 

Our vision and values underpin our aims, which are as follows: 

• To regard all our students as of equal importance and to provide opportunities for all 
• To encourage students to be ready, prepared, and believe they can improve. For this, we want everyone to be relentless in their pursuit of excellence 
• To ensure all our students are respectful and aim for the highest standards, along with seeing the best in everyone 
• To foster high levels of engagement by promoting resilience, endeavour and valuing feedback 
• To encourage students to be positive, confident and respectful members of the community, so that they are prepared for future learning and their role in an ever changing society 

The last Ofsted inspection of King James´s School took place in April 2017 and rated the school Good. An inspection is due and this may be in the next few weeks.  

The report in April 2017 recognises the significant strengths of the school. From the report, Ofsted are impressed with our ethos and that, most importantly, they confirmed that our students are happy and thriving. 

The overall response from parents was extremely positive and this was mentioned by the lead inspector and helped to confirm what she saw in action in school. 

Ofsted have rigorous standards and the school was very thoroughly evaluated during the inspection. Quite rightly the inspection identified a couple of areas that we can improve upon and these were areas that we had already identified as our key priorities. 

Key priorities and current areas identified for improvement: 

• Improve and strengthen the reading programme. Three strands; better identification of the weakest readers and sharper intervention, evaluation of accelerated reader (is it fit for purpose?), curriculum specific vocabulary 
• Further embedding of Rosenshine’s principles. With a focus on memory techniques and retrieval practice 
• Build on the implementation of the KS3 independent learning strategy with a fresh approach to independent learning at KS4 and KS5  
• Develop interdisciplinary work between subjects so that we build schema through developing common language, vocabulary and knowledge, and reduce cognitive load 
• Recovery and catch up, with a focus on disadvantaged pupils 
• To continue to drive and embed our vision, values and ethos through the tutoring/assembly programme across all Key Stages consistently 
• Following recent staff changes and Covid disruption, after years of stability, re-calibrate and re-establish our careers offer 
• Development of the SEMH Hub 
• Agree and implement the whole school well-being strategy 

Current school strengths: 

• Ambitious curriculum for all, including disadvantaged and pupils with SEND 
• Subject specialists in all subject areas.  Heads of department with considerable expertise 
• A very strong programme of CPD which is tailored to the needs of staff and supported externally by the Yorkshire Teaching School Alliance (YSA) 
• Low NEET, strong destinations data 
• High throughput to 6th form and university 
• Historic attainment SIG+ 
• Historic progress SIG+ 
• Effective outcomes for pupils with SEND 
• An inclusive environment, which respects those with protected characteristics and promotes understanding and tolerance 
• The development of character, grit and integrity  
• A curriculum and pastoral structure that helps pupils to keep themselves safe 
• A rich extra-curricular programme with broad engagement 
• Pupils that are confident in debate and discussion 
• A breadth of SMSC opportunities 
• Effective sex and relationships education which is fully compliant with the new statutory requirements 
• A well-established house system to encourage competition and to support extra-curricular involvement. 
• Effective culture of safeguarding 
• High aspirations for all of our pupils 
• Relentless focus on the quality of the curriculum and the link with staff CPD, leading to consistency in the quality of education 
• Good parental engagement and a school which has strong community engagement 
• Effective governance 

Future considerations:  

The governing board and senior team recognise the need for the school to be part of a bigger structure. This may initially be through growing the Federation, but in the longer term is probably within a multi academy trust. Whilst the economies of scale of the Federation are a strength, it is increasingly clear that we would benefit from access to more support around AP, SEMH and SEND. Working within a larger structure could give us greater access to these services.   

Make-up, needs and expectations of pupils  

School Context (last update Feb 2022 census) 

FSM - 13.3% 

Pupil Premium - 14.66% 

Ethnicity - White British - 93.87% 

EHCP - 2.03% 

SEN - 14.03% 

LAC & Adopted from Care - 1.8% 

Budgetary position:  

The budget is currently in a state of considerable turbulence due to many unknown cost pressures, such as energy prices and unfunded pay increases for staff. However, the budget is balanced for the current financial year. Some savings may need to be found for 2023/24                                                                      

The needs of our students always come first and we work closely with parents and carers, strengthening those positive relationships that help contribute to the work we do.  

Many parents/carers and residents continue to be very engaged and to support our school.  It is in this way that all are able to feel they are active participants in the functioning and development of our schools which can only have positive implications for the students. We communicate via the website, newsletters, email, parents attend parents’ evening and expectations evenings in large numbers. Some parents are harder to reach but most will engage when we contact them.  

King James´s is extremely well supported by local individuals: some take on responsibilities as school governors; others act as business mentors to Sixth Form students. Local organisations and businesses also give support, whether sponsoring the annual Fun Run and Gala, providing raffle prizes or offering work experience to students. 

In return, the school supports the local community in a range of ways – Read more on our community links here 

Local Authority and School Improvement 

We have strong relationships with our contacts at the LA and are able to access support. Staff are also made aware of training opportunities through the LA and our leaders and designated safeguarding lead attend LA organised meetings/training/networking sessions. 

 Support that will be available to the new Executive Headteacher 

• Boroughbridge High School Headteacher 
• Yorkshire Schools Alliance 
• Very experienced SLT 
• Governing Body 
• Support from our school improvement Senior Education Advisor

Knaresborough 

Knaresborough is full of surprises, a warren of medieval streets and stone staircases that weave their way up and down the hill. The town centre is perched on the cliffs above the River Nidd and the imposing railway viaduct across the Nidd Gorge offers an amazing view to visitors as they arrive by train. 

What’s best about Knaresborough? 

There are plenty of things to do in Knaresborough all year round. The market place in the centre of the town offers a great place to enjoy a cup of tea or something delicious and home baked. On a Wednesday stalls fill the market place offering tasty produce, wholefoods, plants and flowers, as well as pretty much anything else you can imagine, in the ever-popular Knaresborough Market. 
 
At the base of the cliffs on which the town sits, you will find a delightful promenade that traps the sun in summer, with a coastal feel despite being more than 60 miles from the sea making a great place to enjoy an ice-cream or indulge in the tradition English pastime of ‘simply mucking about in boats’. 

You can find out more here. 

Harrogate  

Welcome to Harrogate – a Victorian spa town and rural district that contains the medieval city of Ripon, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and four charming but very different market towns; Boroughbridge, Knaresborough, Masham and Pateley Bridge. 

In the heart of Yorkshire, this is your perfect base for a day, a weekend or a week. Indulge your passions and your senses and visit the Harrogate area for a memorable break. With such a varied range of events in Harrogate, you will find there is always something taking place to capture your interest 

For a comfortable stay you will find a comprehensive range of accommodation in Harrogate offering something for everyone, from convenient and cosmopolitan townhouses to remote and idyllic country cottages. 

Your visit can be as active or as indulgent as you like when you explore things to do in Harrogate. With the Yorkshire Dales on the doorstep there is plenty of scope for adventure activities during your stay, from mountain biking to rock climbing and abseiling, or just a bracing walk across the fells. Whatever your interests, let us inspire you to make more of your visit. 

You can find out more here 

York 

English in York is located in the beautiful and historic city of York. York is England’s most visited city outside London and is situated in the north east of the country, in the stunning county of Yorkshire, by the River Ouse, 

With its many tourist attractions: impressive architecture, museums, riverside walks, cafes and restaurants, York is an ideal place to study.  The city has the good fortune to be situated approximately two hours by train from London and Edinburgh with frequent direct train services. Once the capital city of England, York is a much-loved destination, particularly by students, offering a mix of a modern, cosmopolitan city in an ancient setting. 

 The history of York is said to be the history of England. It is an ancient city with Roman walls and Viking remains, and the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe towers over the medieval streets. Museums illustrate this history. A major tourist destination, York hosts events and festivals all year round, showcasing different types of music, theatre, culture, food and drink.  

You can find out more here: